A DAUGHTER has followed in the footsteps of her father, keeping their local optician’s ‘family ethos’ alive.

Young and ambitious, Izzy Jones has become the newest qualified optometrist to join the team at Specsavers Runcorn – having been trained up by her dad who originally opened the store up in 1994.

The 22-year-old spoke positively of her experience at the branch so far and how ‘welcoming’ the team have been.

“I've had a really enjoyable pre-registration year,” she said. “Everyone, including my dad, has been really supportive.

“Runcorn has such a fantastic team at the store, and after being away at university it has felt like a very homely place.”

The store is located in the heart of the town at Runcorn Shopping Centre in Palacefields.

“It has definitely helped that my dad has been at the store for so many years and all of the customers seem to know him very well.

“We're all like one big family and I'm very grateful to all my colleagues for their constant support. I'm very much looking forward to continuing to develop my skills now that I'm fully qualified.”

Continuing the family traditions, a sibling duo also work at the branch, store director, Sophie Atherton and her brother Ollie Atherton, who works in audiology.

Store director, Stuart, spoke of the ‘daunting’ aspect of taking on the supervision of his daughter within a workplace environment at the start.

“I have five children and I’ve done driving lessons with them all, so I know how hard it can be taking instructions from Dad.

“Thankfully though, Izzy’s been great to supervise, and it’s been lovely seeing the store’s family ethos grow.”

“I opened the store in 1994, which is almost 30 years ago, and we’ve always had family connections over the years.

“Even though we’ve got bigger, the family ethos in the store is something customers appreciate, it’s the same vibe that we had when we started out.

“One of the most rewarding things about being at Runcorn since we opened is building long term relationships with patients over the years. I've known some patients since they started wearing spectacles as children and they now bring their own children for eye examinations.

“My daughter working alongside me as an optometrist seems a natural progression of that continuity.”